The present invention relates to containers for the packaging of endodontic instruments which promote use of the endodontic instruments contained in the package.
In carrying out endodontic treatments, a practitioner will generally use a series of instruments having progressive diameters and/or cone angles to bore out the root canals of the teeth being treated.
To assist the practitioner, a variety of containers for holding endodontic instruments of differing configurations have been developed. In some of these containers, the instruments are laid out on a tray, and the operating procedures suggested for the treatment to be performed are depicted diagrammatically on the tray so that the practitioner can use the instruments in their proper sequence according to a chosen diagram.
To differentiate the endodontic instruments by their diameter, the handles of the instruments are often given a color which corresponds to a particular diameter. For example, the color yellow can be used to designate a number 20 instrument, the color red can be used to designate a number 25 instrument and the color blue can be used to designate a number 30 instrument.
For reasons of asepsis, it is absolutely essential for the instruments to be sterilized, between patients, in cases where the instruments are to be re-used. It is also particularly helpful for the practitioner to know how many times a particular instrument has been used. For example, an instrument which may have already experienced a certain amount of fatigue (resulting from prior uses) can in this way be discarded before running the risk of breakage occurring during treatment. However, because of their size, it is not possible for the instruments to be directly marked with information suitable for implementing such a counting procedure.
It has become increasingly important to provide an effective solution to this problem.
The present invention constitutes an improvement to containers for the packaging of endodontic instruments, and is particularly well suited to containers in which the various endodontic instruments are laid out with a view to their sequential use by the practitioner.
Generally, this is accomplished by providing a tray which sets out, and diagrammatically illustrates the progressive operating procedures recommended for the endodontic treatment being undertaken. The tray is arranged in a case comprised of a bottom and a lid. The lid is removable from the case, by the practitioner, at the start of each intervention to gain access to the endodontic instruments which are to be used to perform the planned endodontic treatment.
In accordance with the present invention, the case for packaging the endodontic instruments receives the instruments so that the series of endodontic instruments provided in the package are laid out to promote their sequential use by the practitioner. To this end, the series of endodontic instruments are placed on a tray which can also operate to indicate the progressive operating procedures suggested for using the series of instruments. This is preferably accomplished by color-coding the various treatment sequences, although indicia other than color may be used for similar purposes, if desired.
For purposes of color-coding the treatment sequences, a tray comprising at least one treatment sequence is identified by a color, and is arranged in a case comprising a bottom and a lid. The lid of the case is removed by the practitioner at the start of each intervention,.and is further equipped with at least one counter capable of indicating the number of times a sequence has been performed. This, in turn, provides a count of the number of times that a given endodontic instrument has been used.
As an example, for a case containing a series of endodontic instruments arranged in three sequences, with a different color for each of the sequences, three counters are provided on the lid. Each of the counters is then preferably identified by the same color as the corresponding sequence.
As an alternative, the package can be provided with three cases, each of which contains a tray corresponding to a single sequence. The lid for the package would then be provided with a single counter, marked with the color of the corresponding sequence.
Any of a variety of counters can be used to establish any of a variety of desired counts. For example, a count can be made from 0 (for a new sequence), up to a number that corresponds to the manufacturer""s recommended maximum number of times that a given instrument should be used.
The counters can be produced in a variety of different ways. For example, rotary devices can be used, and are preferably equipped with detent (clicker) systems which can provide a tactile feel of the position assumed by the counter. The counters can also be produced in the form of linear sliders.